سعید شمس

Vibrio cholerae is one of the important human pathogens that is transmitted through contaminated water and food. In Qom province, due to special weather conditions, diseases caused by Vibrio cholerae are endemic. The aim of this study was the prevalence of Vibrio cholerae in water and vegetables of Qom province and the presence of two virulence genes, hlyA and toxR. During two years (2020-2021), 120 samples of agricultural water (70) and vegetables (50) in Qom province were collected. The samples were cultured on specific media. Suspicious colonies were evaluated by Gram staining and biochemical tests and the serotype Vibrio cholerae was identified by serology test. Finally, Then, the presence of virulence genes was investigated by PCR method and also the antibiotic resistance pattern by disk diffusion method was evaluated in the isolates.  Vibrio cholera bacteria were isolated from 17 samples (16.14%), all of which were Non-O1. The rate of contamination of water and vegetables was 28.14% (10 cases) and 14.00% (7 cases), respectively. In molecular evaluation, the abundance of virulence genes including: toxR (88.32%), rtxA (58.82%), hlyA (47.05%), chxA (5.88%), and 100% of isolates did not have ctxA, ace and tcpA genes. The most antibiotic resistance is related to ampicillin and amoxicillin (34.29%), followed by cefuroxime (17.46%), imipenem (11.76%), and cefoxitin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (5.88%). The results of this study showed that Vibrio cholerae Non-O1 is present in water and vegetables of Qom province, and as an important source of disease for humans therefore, continuous health monitoring of water and vegetables and proper disinfection of these foods is very important.

The efficacy of common antibiotics has been hindered by the emergence of drug resistance, including multidrug resistance (MDR). As a result, there is a growing interest in exploring alternative treatments for drug-resistant infections. One promising avenue is the use of herbal medicine, which possesses antimicrobial properties and may serve as a viable supplement or alternative to conventional antibiotics.

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of plant essential oils in Iran against drug-resistant bacteria.

In this systematic review, we searched for keywords including herbal medicine, essential oil, Acinetobacter spp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus species in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and internal databases. Articles published up to October 4, 2023, were considered without any time limit.

The results showed that the majority of studies conducted were related to thyme, and the most tested bacterial species were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. Thyme exhibited the highest antibacterial activity, with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) equal to 0.31 µg/ml, followed by Oliveria decumbens with a MIC of 0.625 µg/ml.

Herbal medicines may offer an efficient treatment option for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, further studies are needed to investigate potential adverse effects, antibacterial properties, and possible synergistic effects with other medicinal plants.

One of the important and practical topics in the teachings of the Qur'an is the discussion of methods, and more importantly, understanding the negative aspects of educational methods that determine the rules and norms governing the educational process. This article aims to guide educators and trainees to the correct guidance of the Qur'an and role model based on citation and analytical methods using the rich content of verses of the Holy Qur'an and the views of commentators from the two branches of faith. This will help in the proper implementation of Quranic education, correction of the strategies and methods that have not been properly implemented and practiced in the course of time. Thus, it will help reduce and do away with some of the executive problems. Extravagance, incomprehensible and sometimes contradictory depiction of the role model, absolutism, following ethnic prejudices, blind imitation and irrationality are among the challenges facing this method. The Qur'anic teachings, creating a suitable atmosphere, criteria and standards, promoting knowledge and awareness and consciously following the role models are considered as ways to address these problems. In this research, the opinions of commentators such as Allama Tabatabai, Makarem Shirazi, Wahba al-Zuhayli, Ṣādiqi Tehrani, and Seyed Qutb have been solicited.

Extension of Banach algebras defined by Cartesian product by a linear functional such as are called -Lau Banach algebras. Recently, this type of Banach algebras are interested by many researchers. Derivations play an important role in algebraic structures. By using this role, one can discover some of the properties of algebraic structures on which a derivation is defined, such as their semi simplicity. In this paper, we consider derivations that are defined on Lau product of Banach algebras and we characterize these derivations in some various cases. As a main characterization, for two Banach algebra , and , we show that is a derivation if and only if there are derivations , and a -derivation such that for all . We investigate the converse case of the above obtained result in some various cases and according to the obtained results related to characterization of derivations, we investigate and characterize the first cohomology of Banach algebras obtained by this product.

Earthquake vulnerability is one of the most important challenges faced by metropolises in Iran. Earthquakes are the most unexpected disasters among various natural and unnatural hazards. They cannot be prevented in any special way, and so far no tools and technology have been able to predict their occurrence. In fact, unpreparedness in times of crisis, especially in earthquakes, causes vulnerability in different levels of a society and increases human and financial losses.   Therefore, it can be acknowledged that “assessing and measuring the level of preparedness” in order to improve the processes of crisis management cycle is a primary action that effectively reduces the effects and complications of manmade and natural crisis. In Tehran, however, this issue is still in a state of ambiguity The existence of numerous faults and the geographical distribution of earthquakes in Iran indicate that almost a vast area of this country, full of inhabitants, is at risk of earthquakes. Carpenterchr('39')s definition of resilience, which has been accepted as a comprehensive definition in many studies, is: (1) the amount of damage that a system is able to absorb, without going out of balance; (2) the amount of ability of a system to organize and reorganize themselves in different conditions; and (3) the ability of the system to create and increase the learning capacity and strengthen adaptation to critical conditions. A resilient city is a city that has the components of readiness, strength, adaptability, stability and durability. In fact, the resilient city is a stable network of physical systems and human societies. Tehran, as the largest metropolis and the capital city of Iran, is at high risk of earthquakes. Therefore, the study aims to measure and analyze the level of earthquake preparedness in Tehran.  The different dimensions of this research, including physical, environmental, social, cultural, institutional, managerial and economic dimensions, were studied with the Resilience Theory.  In this research, the descriptive-analytical method with a survey approach has been emphasized to review and answer the research questions. Among the risk reduction programs, resilience can be considered as a more accurate and successful program due to its attention to social and economic dimensions. Due to the importance of the above principle and the vulnerability of Tehran, especially in areas with dilapidated structures such as parts of District 4, and due to the imminence of earthquake, there are two questions. Whether the city of Tehran is sufficiently prepared for earthquake? Considering the theory of resilience, how effective this preparedness is in different physical, social, economic and institutional and managerial dimensions? The statistical population studied in this study includes: managers, experts and crisis management experts working in District 4 of Tehran Municipality. After reviewing and analyzing the documents and opinions of managers and experts, which were obtained through questionnaire, the findings of this study showed that the level of social, institutional and managerial preparedness for earthquake in District 4 of Tehran is moderate, and the level of physical, environmental and economic preparedness is not good.

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative, micro-aerophilic, and spiral-shaped bacillus. Infection with this bacterium can lead to gastritis, ulcers, and even gastric cancer. This study was conducted to evaluate the presence of the cagA gene among patients with gastritis and gastric cancer.

This study was performed in patients with gastritis (n=40) and gastric cancer (n=40). Presence of H. pylori infection in gastritis specimens and in cancerous tissues was investigated by urease test and Giemsa staining, respectively. Using PCR, 16S rRNA and cagA genes were investigated.

Pain and weight loss were the most common complaints of patients. Dyspepsia and duodenal ulcer were the most frequent endoscopic findings. According to pathologic results, intestinal-type G1 adenocarcinoma was detected in most cases. All positive-H. pylori cases were also positive for 16S rRNA. The cagA gene in patients with gastritis and stomach cancer was present in 13 (32.5%) and 11 (27.5%) cases, respectively.

Compared to other studies, low presence of the cagA gene in Qom could be an indication of less virulent strains in this province, but, further studies are recommended to evaluate other genes.

The emergence of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus has created a major challenge in the treatment of infections caused by this bacterium, and inducible clindamycin resistance has also led to treatment failure. This study was performed with the aim of identification of inducible clindamycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from hospitalized patients in hospitals of Tehran city.
This descriptive study was conducted on 80 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from patients hospitalized in hospitals of Tehran city. The susceptibility of the isolates to different antibiotics, were investigated using disk diffusion method. Inducible clindamycin resistance of the strains was identified using D-zone test. The presence of ermA, ermB, and ermC genes were evaluated by multiplex PCR.
In this study, among 89 Staphylococcus aureus isolates, 70% of the strains were resistant to erythromycin and 45% to clindamycin. Using D-zone test, 15 samples were reported positive. Among the 80 isolates, ermA, ermB, and ermC genes were observed in 4 (5%), 6 (7.5%) and 8 (10%) strains, respectively.
Given the results of this study, the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is a matter of concern; hence, there is a need for accurate management of drug prescription and identification of resistant isolates to control the infection and prevent the spread of resistant bacteria.

Drug resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains has become a worldwide problem, and efflux pumps are one of the major resistance mechanisms in this bacterium. The aim of this study was to identify the mutation in mexA and mexB pumps and to investigate the expression level of mexA pump in the isolates from burn patients.
This study was conducted as a descriptive study on 100 isolates of P. aeruginosa isolated from patients hospitalized in Shahid Motahari Hospital during 2014-2015. Antibiogram tests were performed using disc diffusion (according to CLSI guidelines). The inhibitory effect of carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), was assessed by broth microdilution method. Mutation in mexA and mexB genes, was detected by PCR and sequencing, and the expression level of mexA gene, was evaluated by real-time PCR and 2−ΔΔCT formula.
Ninety-five out of 100 isolates of P. aeruginosa, were resistant to imipenem. Sixteen isolates had response to the inhibitory effect, and a 4-fold reduction was observed in MIC results at the presence of this inhibitor. In one isolate, glycine was replaced by aspartic acid at position 257 of mexB protein sequence, but no change was seen in MexA. All isolates had mexA and mexB genes. Twenty percent of the isolates showed overexpression in mexA gene.
According to the results of this study, the antibiotic resistance as a result of overexpression of efflux pump, is of great concern. Hence, infection control by accurate management of drug prescription and identification of resistant isolates, is essential to prevent the spread of resistance.